new car -- 2008 e93 m3 convertible
02-24-09 | 12:56 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 81,674
Likes: 197
From: Lovely OC
new car -- 2008 e93 m3 convertible
finally after searching for our new rides for over 9 months, we decided to get the m3. after 2 months, the car is over the break-in period and the 1200 mile service done. got chances to really push the car hard and the way it's supposed to be driven, and now i think it's time for a little review. when we got this car, it was pretty much down to the m3 or the is-f. i have driven both cars extensively and even on the track, so hopefully it's a fair comparison.
too bad, initially we wanted to get the e92 m3, but among the 08 leftover, all e92 were gone already, so we were left with e93 (we didn't even consider the e90). e93 is a good 400lb heavier than the e92. so personally i would think on a e92 with cf roof, the performance of the m3 should be noticeably better
2008 e93 m3
alphine white with black interior
extended leather
tech package (nav, m drive)
cold climate
cf leather trim
IPOD integration
19"
6 speed manual
one huge reason for us to choose the m3 was the manual tranny. the 6 speed is addictive. even given the option we wouldn't get the dct. for over 2k more, although it shifts quite a bit faster plus the launch control, but nothing beats the feeling of having full control. of course, it's a big plus when your wife knows how to drive stick
the exterior of the car is aggressive and i love how the front looks. the rear i am ok, somehow i feel a bit busy on the exhaust area (i prefer the 335 rear). the widened fenders give the car a much more aggressive look (and also allow more aggressive wheels), and the front bumper integrates aggressiveness and practicality well (the lack of foglights is for a reason, one side for air intake and the other side for oil cooler)
one thing we were very surprised is the sound of the car. the v8 engine sounds very "raw", in fact i wouldn't say it sounds nice when idle. however, when driving the car, the m3 is noticeably quieter than the is-f, a big put-off for us. we test drove the the is-f on local streets and the constant droning of the exhaust was pretty annoying. especially my wife in the back seat. but when driving the m3, we both thought the car was a lot quieter. overall i think the is-f has a deeper muscle sound, whereas the m3 has a good "screaming" sound when you rev it high to 6000+rpm.
with the high rev v8 on the m3, the lack of tq is pretty obvious compared to the is-f. to get the power off the m3 i have to rev the engine high, and as soon as it gets pass 4000rpm, the car comes alive and turns into a different animal. i have done redline in 2nd gear entering freeway, and by the time it's about 8000rpm, i think it was 80+mph already. it was fast. (i can forget about trying to redline in 3rd...)
the handling of the car, well, what can i say. it's a bmw. with the ps2 tires, the car just sticks to the ground no matter what you do. i have tried tossing the car around corners as hard as i can, but i have yet to get the car loose. it's totally on rail and the car stays very flat. the brakes also perform extremely well, when needed it really stops the car well. though till this point i don't have a chance to test the brake fade.
one IMPORTANT aspect of the car we like a lot more than the is-f is the driving feel of the car. the steering wheel is thick and very solid, and most importantly it's very tight, giving us a very confident driving experience. the road feel is also fabulous. the car gives us the feeling that we can push it and it can handle the challenge, and the fact is it does. compared to when driving the is-f, the steering is much thinner and it feels loose, the road feedback is not as pronounced.
we are also surprised about the suspension. for some reason, the is-f stock suspension is stiffer than the m3 (when in comfort mode). during our street test drives in the is-f, we find ourselves "jumping" here and there on bumpy roads, but the m3 is a lot more forgiving in that aspect, giving us a reasonably smooth ride. since we don't track our car every day, the m3 was our choice.
the m drive setup on the m3 is another thing that makes the m3 a different car. you can program the m drive including throttle, steering, suspension, and dsc. the change is throttle is unbelievable. when in sport plus, i have to be very cautious on the gas otherwise i would jerk like crazy in first gear. the suspension change is very noticeable too, in sport mode the car is very stiff, but the cornering is dramatically improved over comfort mode.
but of course, no car is perfect. i guess my main complain on the m3 is the famous idrive. it's been a good two months since we got the car, but honestly i am still struggling with it. first of all the system is slow, upon starting the car, i have to wait quite a while before the nav is "up". after putting in address, it's another decent while to search the route. and for some reason a lot of times the routes aren't that optimal. using the idrive button is also frustrating. without the touch screen, simple tasks can take quite a few moves. i have read the whole manaul, and there are still things i forget or couldn't figure out how to do. with our lexus we never have this problem. my wife also doesn't like the idrive with a passion. in her words, the idrive is simply a frustrating system to use...
the sound system is another let-down. seriously, i don't know how much you pay extra for the ML option, but it's sooo worth the money. for 1900 extra on the m3, i really don't know what kind of crap i get on the premium audio upgrade. things sounds horrible in the car, everything is mushy compared to the clarity of the ML system in lexus. having owning a few lexus, my gs350 ML system is probably the weakest, but still it blows away the system in the m3 completely. good thing is when i am in the m3, i probably want to hear the engine more
build quality of the m3 is so-so. not that i am looking for excuses for the lexus, but if you complain about lexus having rattles, try a bmw. it's only been two months, and i have roof rattles, dash squeaks, kick panel rattles, and all FOUR windows rattles. what can i say... but the leather in the m3 is pretty nice actually, much better than most other bmw i have considered before. the seats are very comfortable and supportive, with very soft leather.
the m3 does have a few advantage like you can use the nav when driving, all settings are programmable yourself (if you can find the menus...), full ipod / usb integration, free traffic information through FM (unlike lexus XM traffic that costs money), heated seats that work much faster. and most importantly, the free maintenance during warranty. we leased our m3, so that means during our ownership, we won't have to pay a dime for services. i consider that easily 2000 saving, plus i change fluids every 10k miles, so it's not like i have to go to dealerships often (well, if nothing breaks, hehe...)
the m3 is a head turner, and the e93 convertible makes it even more so. often times when we drive (even at stock) people look at our car or give us thumb up. it's a good feeling. although at the same time it's a cop magnet, it's been a few times that cops looked at me to see if i pull any stunts on them.
from a driving point of view, in my opinion, the m3 is a much better driving machine than the is-f. i am not saying the m3 is faster. one is tq engine one is high rev engine, on the track they are probably very similar. but on normal road driving, the m3 give both of us higher level of confidence. that's a big deal. and of course the manual option gives it that much more fun. if you talk about blend of performance and luxury, then please by all means choose the is-f. although it has its short coming, but the is-f offers a much better aspect of luxury ride, and it's not even a close comparison.
i will close the review throwing in the price factor. a loaded is-f has msrp 62k (most of them). our e93 m3 loaded with 6mt? whopping 78k msrp (if you want dct, add another 2k). if it's the full price, i would never consider the m3. although it's convertible, it's way too much money. a loaded e92 still has msrp 72k, which is 10k more than is-f. but considering the time of the year, deals from dealerships could make things very different. when we got our car it was december, all dealerships were hurting for customers. we were offered very attractive deals on both cars. although is-f would still cost us less than the m3, but overall the m3 became a much more attractive option and eventually get our green light
anyway, this is my 2 cents review of the e9x m3. enjoy off to more fun driving now 
too bad, initially we wanted to get the e92 m3, but among the 08 leftover, all e92 were gone already, so we were left with e93 (we didn't even consider the e90). e93 is a good 400lb heavier than the e92. so personally i would think on a e92 with cf roof, the performance of the m3 should be noticeably better
2008 e93 m3
alphine white with black interior
extended leather
tech package (nav, m drive)
cold climate
cf leather trim
IPOD integration
19"
6 speed manual
one huge reason for us to choose the m3 was the manual tranny. the 6 speed is addictive. even given the option we wouldn't get the dct. for over 2k more, although it shifts quite a bit faster plus the launch control, but nothing beats the feeling of having full control. of course, it's a big plus when your wife knows how to drive stick
the exterior of the car is aggressive and i love how the front looks. the rear i am ok, somehow i feel a bit busy on the exhaust area (i prefer the 335 rear). the widened fenders give the car a much more aggressive look (and also allow more aggressive wheels), and the front bumper integrates aggressiveness and practicality well (the lack of foglights is for a reason, one side for air intake and the other side for oil cooler)
one thing we were very surprised is the sound of the car. the v8 engine sounds very "raw", in fact i wouldn't say it sounds nice when idle. however, when driving the car, the m3 is noticeably quieter than the is-f, a big put-off for us. we test drove the the is-f on local streets and the constant droning of the exhaust was pretty annoying. especially my wife in the back seat. but when driving the m3, we both thought the car was a lot quieter. overall i think the is-f has a deeper muscle sound, whereas the m3 has a good "screaming" sound when you rev it high to 6000+rpm.
with the high rev v8 on the m3, the lack of tq is pretty obvious compared to the is-f. to get the power off the m3 i have to rev the engine high, and as soon as it gets pass 4000rpm, the car comes alive and turns into a different animal. i have done redline in 2nd gear entering freeway, and by the time it's about 8000rpm, i think it was 80+mph already. it was fast. (i can forget about trying to redline in 3rd...)
the handling of the car, well, what can i say. it's a bmw. with the ps2 tires, the car just sticks to the ground no matter what you do. i have tried tossing the car around corners as hard as i can, but i have yet to get the car loose. it's totally on rail and the car stays very flat. the brakes also perform extremely well, when needed it really stops the car well. though till this point i don't have a chance to test the brake fade.
one IMPORTANT aspect of the car we like a lot more than the is-f is the driving feel of the car. the steering wheel is thick and very solid, and most importantly it's very tight, giving us a very confident driving experience. the road feel is also fabulous. the car gives us the feeling that we can push it and it can handle the challenge, and the fact is it does. compared to when driving the is-f, the steering is much thinner and it feels loose, the road feedback is not as pronounced.
we are also surprised about the suspension. for some reason, the is-f stock suspension is stiffer than the m3 (when in comfort mode). during our street test drives in the is-f, we find ourselves "jumping" here and there on bumpy roads, but the m3 is a lot more forgiving in that aspect, giving us a reasonably smooth ride. since we don't track our car every day, the m3 was our choice.
the m drive setup on the m3 is another thing that makes the m3 a different car. you can program the m drive including throttle, steering, suspension, and dsc. the change is throttle is unbelievable. when in sport plus, i have to be very cautious on the gas otherwise i would jerk like crazy in first gear. the suspension change is very noticeable too, in sport mode the car is very stiff, but the cornering is dramatically improved over comfort mode.
but of course, no car is perfect. i guess my main complain on the m3 is the famous idrive. it's been a good two months since we got the car, but honestly i am still struggling with it. first of all the system is slow, upon starting the car, i have to wait quite a while before the nav is "up". after putting in address, it's another decent while to search the route. and for some reason a lot of times the routes aren't that optimal. using the idrive button is also frustrating. without the touch screen, simple tasks can take quite a few moves. i have read the whole manaul, and there are still things i forget or couldn't figure out how to do. with our lexus we never have this problem. my wife also doesn't like the idrive with a passion. in her words, the idrive is simply a frustrating system to use...
the sound system is another let-down. seriously, i don't know how much you pay extra for the ML option, but it's sooo worth the money. for 1900 extra on the m3, i really don't know what kind of crap i get on the premium audio upgrade. things sounds horrible in the car, everything is mushy compared to the clarity of the ML system in lexus. having owning a few lexus, my gs350 ML system is probably the weakest, but still it blows away the system in the m3 completely. good thing is when i am in the m3, i probably want to hear the engine more
build quality of the m3 is so-so. not that i am looking for excuses for the lexus, but if you complain about lexus having rattles, try a bmw. it's only been two months, and i have roof rattles, dash squeaks, kick panel rattles, and all FOUR windows rattles. what can i say... but the leather in the m3 is pretty nice actually, much better than most other bmw i have considered before. the seats are very comfortable and supportive, with very soft leather.
the m3 does have a few advantage like you can use the nav when driving, all settings are programmable yourself (if you can find the menus...), full ipod / usb integration, free traffic information through FM (unlike lexus XM traffic that costs money), heated seats that work much faster. and most importantly, the free maintenance during warranty. we leased our m3, so that means during our ownership, we won't have to pay a dime for services. i consider that easily 2000 saving, plus i change fluids every 10k miles, so it's not like i have to go to dealerships often (well, if nothing breaks, hehe...)
the m3 is a head turner, and the e93 convertible makes it even more so. often times when we drive (even at stock) people look at our car or give us thumb up. it's a good feeling. although at the same time it's a cop magnet, it's been a few times that cops looked at me to see if i pull any stunts on them.
from a driving point of view, in my opinion, the m3 is a much better driving machine than the is-f. i am not saying the m3 is faster. one is tq engine one is high rev engine, on the track they are probably very similar. but on normal road driving, the m3 give both of us higher level of confidence. that's a big deal. and of course the manual option gives it that much more fun. if you talk about blend of performance and luxury, then please by all means choose the is-f. although it has its short coming, but the is-f offers a much better aspect of luxury ride, and it's not even a close comparison.
i will close the review throwing in the price factor. a loaded is-f has msrp 62k (most of them). our e93 m3 loaded with 6mt? whopping 78k msrp (if you want dct, add another 2k). if it's the full price, i would never consider the m3. although it's convertible, it's way too much money. a loaded e92 still has msrp 72k, which is 10k more than is-f. but considering the time of the year, deals from dealerships could make things very different. when we got our car it was december, all dealerships were hurting for customers. we were offered very attractive deals on both cars. although is-f would still cost us less than the m3, but overall the m3 became a much more attractive option and eventually get our green light
anyway, this is my 2 cents review of the e9x m3. enjoy
off to more fun driving now
Last edited by rominl; 02-24-09 at 01:08 AM.
02-24-09 | 01:12 AM
#6
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 81,674
Likes: 197
From: Lovely OC
oh and damn, didn't know i wrote that much @_@
Trending Topics
02-24-09 | 01:12 AM
#8
Nice review.... How many "toys" do you have now Henry?? Do you ever miss your SC430? It was a sweet car. I see a nice photo on the wall there. 
Let me know when you get bored of the M3... I may be able to purchase it from you... in about 10 years.
Let me know when you get bored of the M3... I may be able to purchase it from you... in about 10 years.
02-24-09 | 01:12 AM
#9
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 81,674
Likes: 197
From: Lovely OC
02-24-09 | 01:13 AM
#11
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 81,674
Likes: 197
From: Lovely OC
i don't miss the sc430 much, but my wife certainly misses it a lot. so now you can guess which side of the garage is HER parking
02-24-09 | 01:15 AM
#12
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 81,674
Likes: 197
From: Lovely OC
i think the price of the car was like 73k (just under invoice), but they jacked up the residual to stupidly high (50 something percent, SAME as 09, for a car that's practically one yr old) and next to zero money factor. that's what makes this car more attractive
02-24-09 | 01:57 AM
#14
Northern California Regional Officer
iTrader: (5)
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 8,702
Likes: 5
From: California
Nice review Henry. Fair and balanced with your impressions. I think you did a good job with impressing the differences between the M and the I. I'm thinking that the ISF is probably what "Lexus" wanted their car to be, a Luxury Performance Car, where as the M3 is a Peformance Luxury Car.
As someone who drove behind me on the Fontana Road Course driving ISFs, you saw me "intentionally" breaking those PS2's loose and the cars were a joy to drive.
I hope when I come to visit you this summer that you'll let me take your car out for a "SPIN".
YOU and I both know the true meaning of that word now don't we?
As someone who drove behind me on the Fontana Road Course driving ISFs, you saw me "intentionally" breaking those PS2's loose and the cars were a joy to drive.
I hope when I come to visit you this summer that you'll let me take your car out for a "SPIN".
YOU and I both know the true meaning of that word now don't we?
02-24-09 | 02:11 AM
#15
ok enough chit chat...
...so when do i get a ride
Awesome review. I really dig the fact that you're able to point out the flaws in both the M3 and IS-F. Certainly shows you're not biased towards one car.
...so when do i get a ride
Awesome review. I really dig the fact that you're able to point out the flaws in both the M3 and IS-F. Certainly shows you're not biased towards one car.